Requiring drivers to use headsets when talking on their cells has no demonstrable impact on the number of crashes, according to new findings from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

As an affiliate of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, the HLDI had long been an advocate of "hands-free" laws in a number of states that outlawed simply talking on your phone with it glued to your ear. So you can imagine the organization's chagrin when they didn't see a drop in accidents in those states.

Adrian Lund, president of the HLDI was quoted by The New York Times as simply stating, "We were very surprised."

The other infuriating angle here is that if you got a ticket for yapping on your cell phone, all you did was fatten the state's coffers!

Clark's belief is that using a cell phone while driving is inherently distracting -- no matter if you're holding it to your ear, using the speaker phone function or using a headset. Perhaps the HLDI should investigate the dangers of strictly being on a call vs. not being on a call.

"Our real problem is to do something about the bigger problem of distracted driving," Lund says, "whether that's cellphones, whether that's the baby crying in the back seat, whether it's the CD you dropped on the floor, whatever it is."

Remember, always keep your eyes on the road. Clark has had to teach his 4-year-old son that he can't turn around when he's driving -- no matter what the emergency is -- until they've come to a complete stop.